Lottery-Atmosphere/Setting/Symbols

The setting seems to be the focus in the beginning of the story. The author tell us the exact day and time. The day is described as a “clear and sunny, with fresh warmth of a full-summer day; flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” After reading that, I wanted to be there, sitting out on my porch or taking a walk. Next, we are taken to the town square where the rest of the story takes place. The town square is described as being between the post office and the bank. Those buildings are thought of as being common and trustworthy in every town. We are told they conduct square dance, the teen-age club, and the Halloween program there. We are led to believe this town square is a place of fun and excitement. It certain paints a picture of a lovely town, on a beautiful day. Next, we learn a little about the people that live in the town. We are told the children have just finished school. I am now thinking back to those warm carefree days, after just getting out of school. The boys are looking for stones, which doesn’t seem that odd, since many boys play with rocks by throwing them or building with them. We have no idea what the stones will ultimately be used to do. The boys “broke into boisterous play” which make me think they are having a lot of fun. While the girls, are standing around talking to each other and not interacting with the boys, which is normal. Then the men are described as talking about planting and rain, tractors and taxes. This clues us in to another aspect of the setting, this is probably a rural farming community. Then women are described as gossiping, typical of women. These all seem to be ordinary activities by these groups of people. I feel the described activities are important because they help create the atmosphere. The author wants us to think this is Small Town (we know there only 300 people), USA. This town presents a “perfect” or stereotypical town. This story, therefore, could occ…